Much of the attention of the political world was focused this week on Cleveland, site of the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena. As a precinct delegate representing the state’s 9th Congressional District, Dennis Marburger of Bloomfield Township had a ring-side seat to all the machinations both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes.

Marburger, a longtime GOP operative who’s involved with the Republican Liberty Caucus, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Republican Club, the Oakland County GOP and the state GOP executive committee, also attended the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa, Fla. He’s had a positive experience with the Michigan delegation, which was housed in Cuyahoga Falls, actually closer to Akron than downtown Cleveland.

Reached Thursday by telephone from his hotel room, Marburger shared some of his perspective of the convention through its first three days, prior to the culminating speech by presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“I have to give full credit to the people in the Cleveland area,” Marburger said. “The hospitality has been very nice and collegial, similar to what you would find in Michigan.”

The first few days of the convention did feature some division and controversy, carried over from the bitter primary season that saw Trump outlast some 16 rivals for the GOP nomination. Prior to the convention, there was talk that some delegates (Marburger was pledged to Trump from the beginning) might be persuaded to change allegiance at the 11th hour.

“There’s been some tension and unhappiness going on,” Marburger said. “There’s been some commentary (from the stage).

“The concentrated effort to promote someone other than Donald Trump has got some people upset,” he added. “They’re unhappy we have some people working to undermine the nominee.”

But Marburger will return home confident that party faithful, both powerful and rank and file, will rally behind Trump and vice presidential candidate Indiana Gov. Michael Pence in time for the November election.

“Hopefully, we can unite around a set of principles and support our candidate against Hillary Clinton,” Marburger said. “We need to have someone who will govern with (keeping in mind) the Declaration of Independence and will be in compliance with the oath of office to uphold the Constitution.

“There’s division and polarization everywhere (even with the Democrats), but I think we can rally and unify around our candidate,” he added. “I expect that to happen. I think that we’ll see that, by and large.”

Even more importantly, Marburger is hoping to see a commitment at all levels of government to move the country in a positive direction following the election.

“After the election is over, we need people to rally around freedom and constitutional duty,” he said. “That means elected officials at the state and local levels.”